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And lo, panto season is upon us (oh no, it can’t possibly be). Allow me to remind London’s festive theatre makers of this salient fact: fools be they who think panto is an easy gig, a doddle to pull off. It is, in fact, one of the hardest of all genres to get right, necessitating filigree-fine equilibrium between risqué humour and kid-friendly larks and, unfortunately, the usually reliable Lyric misses the mark this year.
The “dick” jokes, for starters, are grimly relentless. Writers Jude Christian, who also directs, and Cariad Lloyd manage to make the whole enterprise feel both perfunctory and never-ending: any attempt at narrative is almost entirely jettisoned in the second half. The dame (Carl Mullaney), a role which should provide the focal point of warmth and humour, is sharp and unlovely, no matter how many handfuls of sweeties she throws to us.
And yet. There is some warmth and colour and vigour, above all from a lively sextet of young ensemble performers. Jolly fairy Bow Belles (Jodie Jacobs) is the heart of the piece and squares up strongly against evil Queen Rat (Sarah-Louise Young), who is scheming to replace Mayor Pigeon (Margaret Cabourn-Smith) in London high office.
Luke Latchman, an extremely Welsh Dick W, throws himself into proceedings with gusto. The balance, however, remains off.
Until Jan 6 (020 8741 6850, lyric.co.uk)
